Shed Geek Podcast
Thriving in the Shed Industry: Insights, Anecdotes, and Community Connections
Ever wondered what it takes to thrive in the shed industry? Picture yourself in Sam's underground bomb shelter in South Carolina, filled with laughter, camaraderie, and the unique insights of our special guest, Dallas Woodward. Hailing from the Paducah area, Dallas opens up about his early days at Derksen with his father and the fascinating evolution of shed construction. Join us as we share humorous anecdotes, including the unforgettable Shed Gal's debut in the industry, all while highlighting the close-knit community that makes the shed business so special.
What can Rockefeller and Walt Disney teach us about success and mentorship? This episode dives into the choices successful individuals face between striving for continuous improvement and giving back through mentorship. We celebrate the grit and determination of young entrepreneurs in the hauling industry, discussing the invaluable lessons learned from failure and the importance of supportive partnerships. You'll gain insight into the generational dynamics within the business world and the critical role of fostering young talent for future growth.
Marketing is the lifeblood of any industry, and the shed business is no exception. We'll explore how innovation in marketing strategies can elevate the industry's profile, from mega lots to the untapped potential of portable buildings. Hear the inspiring story of a customer-turned-shed-dealer who transformed her challenges into triumphs, building a thriving business from scratch. This episode underscores the importance of personal connections and the supportive, passionate community that drives the shed industry forward. Join us for a heartfelt discussion that promises to entertain, inform, and inspire.
For more information or to know more about the Shed Geek Podcast visit us at our website.
Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube at the handle @shedgeekpodcast.
To be a guest on the Shed Geek Podcast visit our website and fill out the "Contact Us" form.
To suggest show topics or ask questions you want answered email us at info@shedgeek.com.
This episodes Sponsors:
Studio Sponsor: Union Grove Lumber
Ever wondered what it takes to thrive in the shed industry? Picture yourself in Sam's underground bomb shelter in South Carolina, filled with laughter, camaraderie, and the unique insights of our special guest, Dallas Woodward. Hailing from the Paducah area, Dallas opens up about his early days at Derksen with his father and the fascinating evolution of shed construction. Join us as we share humorous anecdotes, including the unforgettable Shed Gal's debut in the industry, all while highlighting the close-knit community that makes the shed business so special.
What can Rockefeller and Walt Disney teach us about success and mentorship? This episode dives into the choices successful individuals face between striving for continuous improvement and giving back through mentorship. We celebrate the grit and determination of young entrepreneurs in the hauling industry, discussing the invaluable lessons learned from failure and the importance of supportive partnerships. You'll gain insight into the generational dynamics within the business world and the critical role of fostering young talent for future growth.
Marketing is the lifeblood of any industry, and the shed business is no exception. We'll explore how innovation in marketing strategies can elevate the industry's profile, from mega lots to the untapped potential of portable buildings. Hear the inspiring story of a customer-turned-shed-dealer who transformed her challenges into triumphs, building a thriving business from scratch. This episode underscores the importance of personal connections and the supportive, passionate community that drives the shed industry forward. Join us for a heartfelt discussion that promises to entertain, inform, and inspire.
For more information or to know more about the Shed Geek Podcast visit us at our website.
Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, or YouTube at the handle @shedgeekpodcast.
To be a guest on the Shed Geek Podcast visit our website and fill out the "Contact Us" form.
To suggest show topics or ask questions you want answered email us at info@shedgeek.com.
This episodes Sponsors:
Studio Sponsor: Union Grove Lumber
Okay, welcome back to another episode of the Shed Geek podcast and gosh Southa C um. Here we are. It seems like we've been here a while. We're in um. If you guys can't tell from our surroundings, we're actually hunkered into Sam's underground bomb shelter here.
Sam Byler:Just don't look too close.
Shed Geek:Don't light a match in here.
Sam Byler:No, it's not a good idea. It's enough ammunition in here to and definitely don't pick up the wrong building because you're going to have problems.
Shed Geek:I love it. I love the man cave.
Sam Byler:I saw it right after you got it done and it looks better every time I show up. It's kind of funny. We didn't talk about that last night. We kind of completely missed where we were at.
Shed Geek:We did and I'm gonna need some of those two, two, three shells, if you don't care on my way out of here.
Sam Byler:As long as you don't want my 50 bmgs, we're fine oh, that's great, so we got.
Shed Geek:So we got the Shed Gal.
Sam Byler:Yeah, she's back with us, Hello.
Shed Geek:Back with us today.
Sam Byler:She never left us and we've got Sambassador, Yep, I'm here again.
Shed Geek:We've got this new adventure that I hope you guys are enjoying, because at this point we're running three days a week by the time you hear this thing.
Shed Gal:Absolutely.
Shed Geek:But we've got another guest.
Sam Byler:Yeah, we do. Who is it Dallas Woodward, Dallas Woodward, hello everyone.
Shed Geek:And what's exciting is I found out that me and dallas are neighbors. So dallas is from the paducah area, mayfield area, and I'm sitting here in your driveway and he's like where are you from? And I'm like metropolis. He well, we're just right over in Paducah, so it's kind of cool. This is what the shed industry does. I love it. You just meet people all the time. Dallas, tell us a little bit about who you are and what you do. Man, how do you know the shed industry?
Dallas Woodward:So it's a pretty cool story. My dad started building for Derksen when I was five years old and I knew from then that's what I wanted to do. I got asked what are you going to do when you grow up? It was build buildings. Every time that's the only thing I wanted to do. I started working with him in summer when I was 12. So, anyways, I started working in the summer when I was 12. I started working after school when I was 13, through the summer, of course. When I was 15 or 16, I can't remember which one it was I got my GED and went full-time working building sheds with Derksen.
Dallas Woodward:So, what were the sheds like back then?
Sam Byler:T-111, that was it, t-111.
Dallas Woodward:You built 10 to 16s.
Sam Byler:Yeah.
Dallas Woodward:T-111. 2x4, 2x6 floor joists. I remember how those 2x4.
Sam Byler:Yeah, if I remember right, were notched runners around back then.
Dallas Woodward:Yeah.
Sam Byler:Yeah, okay, so you had notched runners, but you were probably using like Z-bar.
Shed Geek:Were you using like all the cuts on your T-111 and doing like the? You know, no, no.
Dallas Woodward:There was a bay down the other end of the shop that built those, but we was actually building like the lofted inside lofted Okay. Yeah, t one 11.
Sam Byler:I hated when they put two before floor joist, on the notched runners, because when you go to put your strap in there you can't get your hand through there, and then some of you guys don't know how to run nail guns.
Shed Geek:And I should say that. No, I just said some of you guys.
Sam Byler:I didn't say him. I'm sure he had good eye vision back then eyesight and he could shoot straight lines. But you'd stick your hand up over there to put the strap through and one of them nails would catch you.
Shed Geek:I still have scars from all those things he built for Derksen. I found this out today. This is exciting. He built for Derksen right there on Westbrook Road, yep, right out of Mayfield and then he was telling me that your dad was one of the first builders and I'm like he's got to know Emory Stutesman, who was one of the first builders there. I think with John he's like absolutely, I remember. Emory and we'd start connecting all the dots of family and friends and all that stuff.
Dallas Woodward:How did I not know this guy. I don't. How did I not know this guy, you know like, have we not crossed paths somehow? Anyway, sorry, interrupt, you had to come to South Carolina to meet him. I know right, isn't that crazy?
Sam Byler:This happens all the time Haulers end up. You know two haulers from Pennsylvania live on the same road. You know they end up in Tennessee at the bash and they're riding in the same pickup truck and the one's having a conversation with another guy from another state. He said I'm from Pennsylvania, I'm on Stump House Road. The other one's like what? I'm on Stump House Road.
Shed Gal:They meet.
Sam Byler:That's what I love about this industry. Poor shed gal. She's not connected to anybody, she's like I'm out here in Phoenix.
Shed Gal:I'm the unicorn.
Sam Byler:She's the one who dropped the shed in the middle of the interstate and got connected to everybody.
Shed Geek:Way to make an entrance.
Sam Byler:I know Well, I mean if you're going to do it, do it good, just do it good, and she did something not a single other hauler would do or would ever admit to doing. She called the law on herself.
Shed Gal:Well, had I known I wouldn't call now.
Sam Byler:She's like ah, there's a building in the middle of the interstate, it's mine.
Shed Geek:I'm going to get it True story. It gave you a story to tell for a long time.
Shed Gal:Oh, absolutely, it's a good one.
Sam Byler:Anyway, get back to building sheds.
Dallas Woodward:So I guess, like I said, when I was 16, I got my GED, started building full time. I worked. I was 22 or 23 when I stopped building for Derksen and went and started building for Secure. I helped run a shop for them for probably two years. Then some things happened and I ended up becoming a sales rep for Secure at the time. Nice. I was a rep for them for maybe'm not sure, maybe a year or two, I can't remember for sure on that and then it worked out Until we came out here and went and partnered with Willow Lake Buildings, and that's how I'm here.
Sam Byler:That's how you found the beautiful state of South Carolina. Yep, so you know I have. I only have one state that I put above South Carolina.
Dallas Woodward:Kentucky.
Sam Byler:Kentucky, so I wasn't born there, but I feel like that's where I was raised. Yeah, um, that's where I sowed all my wild oats and they still grow up and come floating down here every once in a while and I still bleed blue yeah um, you know, I I keep every couple years I say I'm done with UK, I'm not cheering for them anymore. I've wrote them off and I did pretty good, I went, went five years like done, and then this kid, this Kentucky kid shows up this year Shepard and sucks me right back in again.
Sam Byler:So I get it, you know. Do you notice how similar the upstate is to Kentucky?
Dallas Woodward:Very, yeah, that was one of the first things I said when I came out here.
Sam Byler:It's very similar to kentucky now you get south of here a little ways and it changes a lot because you end up into the coastal land and all the yeah, just stay out of there, let's just stay up here so secure.
Shed Geek:Yeah, been on the show. Jeremy gaither, buddy of ours, friend of the show, go, go back with him quite a ways, uh, back to his days in in easy and uh, yeah, really, really cool how the connections come together and all that. And then, of course, joe yeah, that ties joe into this, ties joe into this and uh, joe being a great guy, great philosopher want to get him on the show sometime.
Sam Byler:I think you ought to yeah, I tried to get him here today and he came up with about 100 excuses to not be here today.
Shed Gal:Joey's like he took my call. That might have been why he ignored my call.
Dallas Woodward:He took your call. I got him booked.
Shed Geek:You see what's happening already Me and Sam and Susan. We're talking to somebody like hey want to be on the podcast. No, how about if Sam's on the podcast? How about if Susan's on? It's creating a funny dynamic already. But yeah, love the whole camaraderie there. You've obviously got a lot of family in the industry, so you've kind of grown up in it.
Sam Byler:Yes, literally.
Shed Geek:That's very cool. So what's your plans now? What are you guys doing? Are you taking over South Carolina, or what's going on?
Dallas Woodward:Is this where you want to tell yeah, this I'm gonna?
Sam Byler:I'm gonna field this question because, uh, I'm I feel like, uh, well, I don't know if I'm to blame yet or if I, if I want the glory for it or the guts for it. I'm not sure. No, it's gonna work. We've all been at this a long time. Um, we actually met with our real estate agent today on a piece of property, um, to do our mega mart shed. Gal, mega mart and this is our partner. Awesome. Um, I I actually had the idea years ago before I sold out to joe. Um, that'm convinced. So we always had the turn ratio thing. You know, everybody says you got to turn a shed four times a year.
Shed Geek:Remember that, yeah, and we did?
Sam Byler:We did four and a half and it didn't take me long at all to figure out that hey, if you want to sell a lot of sheds, you got to have a lot of sheds. You know you put eight sheds out on the muffler guy's corner and you know he's going to turn 32 sheds a year. That's. You just know that's the way it works. And I'm like, wait a minute now, if he can. If, if eight sheds turns 32, if 50 sheds turns 200, what does 100 turn? 400 sheds? So why would you not have 100?
Sam Byler:So I never quite got there when I was doing it, but I was getting close to that. Um, and then, yeah, joe ended up taking over. He actually cut back to do what he wanted to do and I sold anything. So I'm still, at heart, I love to sell stuff. We sold play sets, we sold trailers, dump trailers, equipment trailers, goosenecks, and I always wanted to get back to that and I always wanted to do it really big. And so I had shed. Gal shows up, she thinks of everything big. You know, she's like I'm gonna take carports nationwide and I'm like, hey, that's my idea, I had that 30 days ago that I want a white label.
Sam Byler:Everybody knows, you know. I put it out on Facebook now that my goal is the white label Carports. Yeah, and make to where Shed Gal sells Shed Gal Carports and not some other brand, and she keeps that customer, you don't lose that customer. So her vision for that went along with my vision. I'm like, hey, we need to do this together. You want to do something, let's do it. Let's do it here in Greenville.
Shed Gal:Well, my original idea was I want to get multiple brands on the same lot. I still think that works. Yeah Well, I agree. You know, I agree, that was one up to me. It's the future.
Shed Geek:Yeah, it did.
Shed Gal:Thank you, dallas.
Sam Byler:He comes back and he says why don't I just give you 100 sheds? There you go. I'm like why not, why not do that? I?
Shed Geek:said well, I was only going to ask for 80, but if you insist, I wouldn't take one more than 99. I promise you.
Sam Byler:We actually found a place we can do this.
Shed Geek:This is going to be live pretty quick. You guys are going to have us put together.
Sam Byler:We're going to get this up and rolling as quick as we can. That's awesome uh, you've got the steel people on board. They're ready to go they're excited greenhouse people are ready.
Sam Byler:yeah, um, I got one of my old buddies, Kevin Cook. He's gonna hook us up on the containers and stuff and uh, I've, I can't quite go public with some of the other people yet. We have some meetings tomorrow, yet maybe even Saturday, but we're pulling all the plugs. Somebody needs to do it and somebody needs to try it. I've been up in the Northeast and I've seen what some of those guys do Shout out to Greg Blackburn, because I love watching what he does. And now I'm not going to start a nursery and I'm not going to sell little pretty flowers. I guess Susan can if she wants to but the way, the way.
Sam Byler:Greg the way Greg moves sheds is incredible.
Shed Gal:Yeah, it is.
Sam Byler:And there's a couple others up there that I have followed and I've found through the years that the Northeast is doing it. They're doing it under a wholesale plan, which you know, as I've said before, is still the ideal way, in my opinion, to move sheds. But we're going to make this work and Dallas is so excited now he wants to grow and it's like, yeah, yeah, let's do this, yeah, um, and I, I can't even, I can't even fathom, you know, with with the team of people that we have, what we can do with that and we have shed geek marketing behind us that they're helping with our marketing.
Shed Gal:So that's a added bonus.
Shed Geek:Thank you appreciate the shout outs yeah, yeah, it's been exciting, man, like what a spirit of cooperation and a heart of willingness to work together can do. And you know we've heard this for several years. Surely you know there's enough for everybody to go around, and you know, not everybody has to have it all. No, I mean that's what we're doing.
Sam Byler:You know she's selling steel, he's selling sheds. Yeah, I no, I mean, that's that's what we're doing. You know she's selling steel, he's selling sheds. Yeah, I don't know what I'm doing I'm just along for the ride watering the flowers.
Shed Gal:But I mean that you said I could if I wanted the spirit of cooperation is that's.
Sam Byler:That's exactly what we're doing. She's she's handling steel site, he's handling shed site, yeah, and then we have you know, uh, the greenhouses are coming on board. Oh yeah, I told kevin, I said I want him to handle his container business just like he would anywhere else.
Shed Geek:Um, somebody's like you're gonna teach your sales guys all those different systems yeah, that's not that hard to do well, I I just love the idea of like people finding a way to to work together with that I do too. That, that willingness to be like, hey, I don't have to. Uh, I don't know. I mean, you guys have talked about this all fair a lot. You know, I've nothing left to prove to myself. You know what I mean and, and and I've.
Shed Geek:I've listened to so many people say when you find success, you know what direction do you point, because at some point you know you can take. I feel like you can take one of two positions. Whenever they interviewed Rockefeller, they said you've got everything you want. You got all the money in the world, all the influence, all the employees, all the people, all the status. You got all of that. What do you want now? And he said just a little more. What do you want now? And he said just a little more.
Shed Geek:Or you can take the position of I can pour back into people Like my success can be like you know it can be a testimony for other people to find their way to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, kind of thing. You know, you're still constantly learning. Don't get me wrong, wrong, you don't quit learning. But I don't know. I think it's, it's cool and even meeting dallas here today, I was like instantly like him yeah, you know what I mean like he just he's likable.
Shed Geek:You can obviously tell he's gonna go a long way. He's got, he's got all this knowledge and family and sheds and uh, kudos to you, man, for like what you guys are doing and how it's worked out here.
Sam Byler:So congratulations have you picked out a place down here yet? Not yet, not yet it was almost an uncomfortable yeah, so well, you know you got to live down here. I mean, it's just the place to be. I don't know.
Dallas Woodward:I bleed blue. I know I get it. It's going to be hard to leave Bluegrass State.
Sam Byler:Yeah, no, I think you can. If you have the right partners in place and you're working with the right people, it's very easy to do and just like that I'm thinking about if he can stay in Kentucky and do it in South Carolina, where all can he go?
Shed Geek:And he's young, I agree.
Sam Byler:I need some young blood and some energy around, that's right. So I'm going to be like, hey, you want to go to Virginia, you want to go to Indiana? Where do you want to go? It's good to you know, we're a bunch of old people. Um, we're getting there fast mashburn pulled that on us today and it's like whoa, we are getting up there a little bit and well, I'm a grandpa now yeah, you're a grandpa now.
Shed Gal:And if I've been a grandma for 17 years people oh well yeah I could easily exactly.
Shed Geek:Somebody help me eat, so it's while they're clowning around.
Shed Gal:I'll have a conversation with you. We're just having our own dialogue.
Sam Byler:It's good to see the young blood. I've kind of got off of the habit of doing it. I used to try to, every six months to a year, give a shout out to all the young guys in hauling. When we had the bash in Tennessee in 2019, I was blown away by how many 19-year-old, 20-year-old, 21-year-old haulers were there that had their own business.
Shed Geek:Wow.
Sam Byler:They weren't driving company rigs for somebody. They had their own rigs, that's amazing their own business.
Sam Byler:They weren't. They weren't driving company rigs for somebody, they had their own rigs and some of those, some of those guys it's it's like okay, so I did. I owned my own business when I was 17 years old and I've always pretty much owned my own business. I get off track every once in a while and go work for somebody and you think I'd learned by now, but, um, I always end up back doing my own thing again. Um, because some people just are the worst employees that you could ever hire. Um, I'm one of those guys. I'm not a good employee and so you, just to see it come in a in a generation where a lot of people throw shade on y'all a lot, um, I love it. Just put your boots on, go to work and make something and to see you guys do that, man, I'll put everything behind you.
Dallas Woodward:Absolutely. But turning that around a little bit, you were talking about working with Youngblood. Joe called me and said hey, I've got someone I want you to meet. That's all he told me. I didn't know who I was meeting. I walked in there no idea what was happening, walked in. I was like that's Sam Byler sitting there. I said he's a shed liberty.
Shed Geek:That's right.
Dallas Woodward:Turn it around. It's exciting to work with you and Susan, even doing this podcast with Shannon. Yeah, it's just the. I'm hoping I can learn a lot from y'all. It's exciting.
Sam Byler:One of us can teach you what not to do. The other two over there probably can teach you what not to do.
Shed Gal:The other two over there probably teach you what to do, but which ones are you talking about?
Sam Byler:yeah, I don't know, I don't know, I I have. So, um, I'll throw you a couple bones that I don't think I've ever got into this part of my philosophy on life. But um, walt disney, anybody know how many times he tried?
Shed Geek:before he made it Weird that I know this.
Sam Byler:Seven times he went bankrupt.
Shed Gal:Eighth time pulled it out I did not know that had two nervous breakdowns before he found success.
Sam Byler:Wow, that is very interesting. Y'all remember the guy that invented that light bulb up there. How many times did he try? Over a thousand, wow, over a thousand fails.
Shed Gal:And had he given up at 999?
Sam Byler:We'd be sitting in here in the dark. Somebody else would have probably figured it out by now. If nothing else, Elon Musk probably would have you fail forward. Failure is not the issue, it's what you do after you fail, and I'm the living, breathing, live example of that. That's why, every time somebody calls me I need your advice, I'm like I'll tell you what not to do, because I'm a whole lot better telling you what not to do. Then I'm telling you what to do, because the what to do sometimes I'm still working on Um. You know what that does, though I have no fear. Fear. I'll follow you all the way off the end of the cliff, because I've landed down there numerous times. Guess what? There's a bottom down there, and you can pick yourself back up and come right back to the top again. Steve Harvey said one time you will never fly if you don't jump. That's right, and you'll hit the rocks on the way down. You'll bounce around a while. Um, why in the world am I off on that show?
Shed Gal:You know, I'm glad you actually brought this up, though, because we have never talked about this, but I am like you're saying how I lived my life. I mean too and it's interesting because it isn't from me, my team it's more important that I teach you what not to do than what to do, because you're going to figure out what to do and you're going to want to do it more.
Dallas Woodward:Yes.
Shed Gal:And so that is. I'm glad you brought that up. I heard a pastor say you just learned a really good life lesson right there.
Shed Geek:I think, yeah, it's like we're old people trying to mentor you and he's like what's? Wrong with these old people?
Sam Byler:telling me what to do.
Shed Geek:This is a new counseling podcast. I feel like his eyes are glazing over like my son.
Shed Geek:He's like I don't need another lecture, we're giving you one, sorry. I heard a pastor say if you fail, get back up. If you fail, get back up again. If you keep failing, get back up over and over and over. Don't think that all those lessons are nothing. He said if you fail the 8th, 9th, 10th time, only 11th time, write a book on ten ways not to succeed and then succeed. Nothing is wasted in your efforts. But yeah, I think we're just excited to see, like hear your story and a lot of people are like I don't know what they're talking about because they probably didn't see the 30 minutes when we sat outside off air chatting about different things. But hearing your story, watching it play out and seeing how you're trying to get in further in the industry but really you grew up in the industry. I mean, you grew up building, your dad grew up building. It's really neat to kind of see all of it come to fruition. It's kind of the American dream what we was talking about today.
Sam Byler:Oh yeah, we did. We talked about that today, about how the shed industry is still a way for somebody that's young Not even necessarily young. I mean he's starting over again. I'm starting over again, no-transcript with a fairly simple product.
Shed Geek:Dallas is like I'm not coming back on here again to talk to you guys, a bunch of old people. No, I'm loving it.
Dallas Woodward:I'm taking it all in. How many lots do you have? We have eight, we're working on nine, but the county is giving us a lot of trouble?
Sam Byler:Oh no way, surely not.
Dallas Woodward:Yeah, not the county we're hiring like three engineers to make sure we didn't mess up a waterway a few hundred yards away. Oh yeah, by putting in a driveway. I don't know, they're great.
Shed Geek:Nothing like the old red tape. Oh, red tape, yep yeah.
Shed Gal:Yeah, so, and looking to grow, hoping to grow your dealer network and expand your business.
Dallas Woodward:Yep, I love that. This right here. I told Sam earlier, as soon as we get this done, I said where are we going next? Yeah, he did, we talked about that on the car ride back.
Sam Byler:Yeah, so it was a little interesting. I guess I use that word so I don't throw them too far under the bus. When I first put this out, I put it out to like six different companies Look, I want to do a mega lot. Like six different companies Look, I want to do a mega lot.
Shed Gal:I sent them a picture of the Ford and the Ram on the same side.
Sam Byler:Sign To where you know. If you want to sell medium-duty trucks, put them all on the same lot. You'll sell more than anybody else. Jackie Jones proved it, ed Murdock proved it. And now Lake Kiwi. Up there, when I lived in Seneca, leader Ford was separate from Lake Kiwi. And then when Leader Ford I don't know what happened, but Lake Kiwi ended up with not just the Ram dealership, they have the Ford dealership and you drive by that place and you just about can't stay on the road because there's so many good looking trucks sitting up there. I don't care if you like Ford, ram, they're both there. What he should do is put GMC up there and have the whole line. But and they sell cars too. I don't even see the cars. Like I don't even know what they sell in cars, so you know.
Sam Byler:So I threw this idea together and I ran it by Susan. I'm like why don't we put multiple brands on the same block? So I pitched it to Dallas and I pitched it to five other guys local here that are my friends, they're good guys. And I told them all look, there's no pressure on this, I'm not going to throw any of y'all under the bus if you decide not to do this, because I get it, I understand it's very different. All of them were very respectable, they all had good questions, they all answered my questions. So I actually met with dallas. I'd never met him personally, met with him and, yeah, he freaked out a little bit. I think for a minute. He's like whoa, I didn't know you was gonna be here. Where's the?
Sam Byler:guy I'm supposed to meet and we chatted for an hour and uh told him what I was doing. Uh, we have a mutual friend that's doing it. That kind of helped him see the big picture a little bit. We went to lunch and I could tell he had an idea of what it was and it was all good. Took him back and dropped him off and I got about an hour down the road and he called me back and he's like this is really good. And I'm like yeah, it is. He says I just want you to know that if you need 100 sheds I'll give you 100 sheds. And he was the first one to come back and offer that and actually he's the only one that's really followed up on it. I'm not saying the rest of them didn't when I asked them to and I'm not saying they're bad sales guys or nothing.
Sam Byler:They just didn't get excited.
Shed Gal:And I understand why. Let's be honest who do we, as consumers, want to do business with? We want to do business with people who get excited, oh yeah that's a good point. So yeah, it just kind of worked itself out.
Sam Byler:At the end of the day, it just worked out fine. That's how it was meant to be. I get to go back and work with my old buddies again, which I couldn't be happier to do, which is fantastic.
Sam Byler:And I get new blood. That is going to get tired of seeing me. He's going. Oh no, here comes Sam again, you know, but it is. It's like. I love the energy, I love the youth, um, and I'm like man if I'd had this opportunity when I was his age, um, so it is. It is really exciting to see where it'll go um, to see what we can do. The one thing everybody agrees on is the shed industry is changing and this is a direction that it's headed in good marketing big area do you guys think, um, do you guys think I'm gonna poke at you a little bit?
Shed Geek:I'm gonna do it. The audience always wants yeah poke, poke a little bit um, he was looking at you when he said that I noticed that okay with, with, with a mega lot. Let's kind of go through this. Do you guys think that it will soak up sales in a region? Is that your hope?
Shed Gal:No, are you asking if we think we're going to dominate that region? And take away from someone else.
Shed Geek:Maybe he didn't say that. He didn't say that.
Sam Byler:I'm reading between the microphones. Oh, between the microphones. That's interesting.
Shed Gal:I think what it's going to do is it's going to increase everybody's sales for those dealers that deserve it and I don't mean that they're not good human beings, but we talked earlier about you. Go to six lots and two are there on a Wednesday at 3 o'clock or whatever day. I think it's going to bring more awareness. We're really good at marketing, sam is, I am. We're really good about Well, where I come from, most people don't even know what a portable building is. A little bit different out here. It's not meant to saturate or to take over the market. Our sales will be fantastic. I literally have no doubt about that. It's going to bring more awareness to the product, name recognition for your company, and if, in the meantime, the other dealers need to step up to the plate a little bit, maybe do a little bit more for themselves, then that's good too.
Shed Gal:To the plate a little bit, maybe do a little bit more for themselves, then that's good too. We talked about that earlier, that you know. I, uh, you know, do better and show me, you know.
Dallas Woodward:Yeah.
Shed Gal:So, you know what are your thoughts on that, though it isn't to dominate like oh we're going to knock everybody out of business. Absolutely not.
Sam Byler:Yeah, no it's. It is definitely Shannon's favorite saying a rising tide lifts all boats 100%. You know, we all know the saying that you can't see the trees for the forest. Is that the right way?
Shed Geek:I always get it backwards. I think that's the right way.
Sam Byler:Or you can't see the forest for the trees, okay.
Shed Gal:I don't know, we know what you mean. Well, I'm telling you.
Sam Byler:I have seen this so many times when I'm working with a group of people in the shed industry. We get so wrapped up in what we're doing in the moment in the shed industry, even when we were designing, I was responsible for designing all our sheds and I would have to get outside of my own head because I don't like. A pink shed Doesn't mean my customers don't.
Sam Byler:Very true doesn't mean my customers don't. Very true. And the thing that I've become convinced of is we think this shed industry is this big thing and it is big and it's kind of like you know, we're hearing lately again that it's saturated. And yet if I walk down there into the grocery store and the first 20 people I ask what's a shed? Where do I find a shed? Yeah, where do I find?
Shed Geek:we've done you name, we've done this for you. Can you name me a shed company where I can go find? Where do I find?
Sam Byler:that little thing I put in my backyard. I store all my junk in yeah you know um lowes, home depot, lowes and home depot.
Shed Gal:They don't even know, the dealers are there. The dealers just don't realize, so their customers, yeah, no know, they're there yeah, so, and, and that is what comes up lowe's home depot.
Sam Byler:Um, you, you, we all in the industry know what a tough shed is and we know that's a national brand. You walk into the grocery store and you ask somebody what's a tough shed? And they're like what? Yeah, they don't know what a tough shed is. Yeah, you know, and that's probably the most branded one, you know. Walk in, tell them what's graceland? Oh, that's where elvis presley is. Oh, you know. Walk in, tell them what's Graceland? Oh, that's where Elvis Presley is. Oh, you know, they're never going to tie that to. You know, and I'm not, I'm not throwing shade on those guys, I'm saying the shed industry in itself has not even reached its full marketing potential and we have the opportunity to do that.
Shed Geek:No, I agree that the consumer for the most part, like if you say Kleenex, they recognize it. If you say Coca-Cola, they recognize the branding. But yeah, even Tufts and Grissom, I guarantee you're doing great jobs in their marketing and all that good stuff. So it's not by lack of something they're doing. It's a big consumer base to reach. Reaching the B2B world is a little bit different. Right, it's fish in a barrel, just a little bit, you know. But reaching the consumer 300, 400 million people potential to buy a shed man trying to get that branded name out there on a national level very difficult. I'm curious. You said something and I'm like is it? Is it because as consumers we shop the same or we we run our shed businesses the same way that we shop as a consumer?
Sam Byler:That was a big one for me. That's probably why I don't ever need to get back in shed sales again B to C, because nobody shops the way I do. You know, I'm still old school. I won't buy a truck without actually going and having somebody look at it or see it first. People buy stuff online all the time. Well, I do little stuff, but I have a line If it's over $1,500, somebody's going to go touch it and that's changed. You can design a shed online, you can buy it and it'll get delivered to you, and you've never seen it before. You know what I'm saying.
Shed Gal:No, I'm not that guy um susan might be, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not either. I want to. I want to touch it, see it, feel it meet a person yeah, it's not that I don't buy things online, but I mean, there's a line on there's.
Shed Geek:It depends right like it gets to a point where you shop dallas, you shop on online any amazon.
Dallas Woodward:You get anything, or you or your wife or yeah, but I'm a little bit the same way I don't like to spend a lot without seeing it or touching it before I purchase so there comes a point right where you're like a book.
Shed Geek:Sure, we'll go on and get a book. A car uh, wait a minute. I maybe want to go see this, touch it, feel it, if I want to make sure it's tangible, I want to make sure it's got four tires on it. There's just in your head, there's a line and I don't know where Shed's fits on that.
Sam Byler:I don't see them moving on Amazon or anything. Is it like a car to, where I research it online and then I just show up at the lot and I already know what I want to buy? I think a lot of people do go research it online I think they at least gain some knowledge and they come in way more prepared whenever they're getting ready to purchase what we're used to.
Shed Geek:Then the salesperson actually realizes they think they're coming in and at times and it's old school you know what I mean where they just come in. And I've wondered that don't know anything about it, but maybe they've actually researched, they've even price shopped, they've done a couple of things. I think that's why it's super important having video content, even on your website, where people kind of feel like you know, could you imagine seeing the mean mug of of sam's on?
Sam Byler:there now we actually got a good looking young guy. Well, yeah, that makes a big difference but could you?
Shed Geek:imagine if you know you, they know who you are before they get there. They at least feel some connection to you before they get there and they feel comfortable, at least to some extent, with asking you questions. Hey, I saw your video online or on social media and I heard about your sale. I wanted to come down here and talk to you about it. So I looked it up a little bit. You guys seem like somebody I might want to buy from, whatever it is. They might not be telling you all that, but what do you think dallas man from like a mega lot, like what excites you about that? What are the things that you're like? You know you, sam, said he. He left, hour went by and you called him back and said that's a really great idea. What happened in between that hour for for dallas?
Dallas Woodward:so, yeah, it kind of. It kind of dawned on me when I left. It sounded great. When we first started talking about it I was like, yeah, this is a good idea. You know, let's do this. About an hour after I left, I started thinking about it and I was like you know what? This is going to be huge.
Sam Byler:I called Sam I called Sam.
Dallas Woodward:I said this is big. I said let's do it. I blow up. I said can you head out here and start hauling as soon as we get this going? He said yeah. He said I'll be there. I said all right.
Sam Byler:I called sam, so I've got another driver we're ready to go uh danelle's getting to be a little bit like me. I'm gonna throw some shade on danelle yoder for a second. Danelle's getting to be like me. He's getting a little bit cranky and uh, monday through thursday is going to be one rate, friday is going to be a little more and saturday is going to be um, and and I get it, um, I it shed hauling will wear you out.
Sam Byler:I mean, you're some days you're a mason and you lay more blocks than you haul sheds. Um, you got to be a truck driver and you got to deal with traffic. You got to deal with customers. You got to be a truck driver and you got to deal with traffic.
Shed Geek:You got to deal with customers.
Sam Byler:You got to be customer service friendly. And then those dealers.
Shed Geek:They catch it from everyone.
Shed Gal:I saw it from both ends.
Sam Byler:Yeah, so it's. I'm sorry, Danil, he probably won't listen so I can throw more shade on him, but it's, yeah, it is, you got to. He did tell me forgot about that. He told me he's got another line, another hauler lined up. I'm like, well, that's good, that's a good idea. At least you're seeing it that's just.
Dallas Woodward:I did call to nail first and tell me sir, you told me this.
Shed Gal:He said no, no so we and I and I'm not going to mention the company because that would be completely inappropriate, but we did we did talk, as Sam said, several companies and we actually had a really wonderful call with a very big, popular company, and I guess it comes down to they know. They said, they know what we're doing is the wave of the future, but trying to figure that out with their current force I mean complete respect for the decision that they had to make. I think that we are visionaries. Well, I know we are the three of us. As far as seeing what's going to happen in the future, we're not going to be the first, we're certainly not going to be the last.
Shed Gal:We talked earlier when we were down at the building. I know what my sales were. They were absolutely fantastic Before COVID. Everybody's were fantastic during COVID and after COVID they were amazing. Had I had the inventory, how much more wonderful would it have been?
Shed Gal:So, going back to that, I think we're going to look back at this in five years and say you know, those four sat there. They had agreed to, you know, work together and use, supply the buildings and we're going to sell a lot of them and people are going to say they saw something that maybe we didn't see. Because you know one thing that pet peeve of mine is well, this is the way it's always been done, and my thought is I don't care, because sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but you have to try things to change things, and I think it's going to be an absolutely fantastic partnership. And so thank you, thank you for trusting in us. I think there's a lot of companies that you know. I think you would have come on with us this is just me speaking for you, so I apologize. I think you would have come on, even if we said you know we're going to sell for another company too, knowing that we're still going to sell a lot for you. Oh, yeah, he was in.
Shed Gal:Yeah, yeah, he was in before, and that I will never forget and I will never forget, and you have no idea how much I appreciate that. You know. I think we're going to see companies down the road that say, well, we'll sweeten the pot. But you know what you were excited about this? It isn't that others weren't interested. They absolutely were.
Sam Byler:Yeah, they were.
Shed Gal:But you were excited and made that leap. So that's the difference between grabbing an opportunity and watching it pass by. So it's going to be really fun. It's going to be great for all of us.
Shed Geek:I think you guys are going to kill it. I think you're going to do great. I like the idea of the Mega Lots. I remember, you know it's been a while since I've sowed sheds and I just remember thinking, well, I see this from both sides. I see the manufacturing's point and we want to kind of capture a dealer that's focused on our product conversation about 1099 versus w2 and independent dealers and consignment dealers versus, you know, retailers, uh, who are purchasing wholesale product. Um, how do you, how do you amend that? Because there doesn't need to be necessarily a one-size-fits-all for the shed industry doesn't mean it's the best thing to have, like a like one way, and one way only I agree
Shed Geek:to work. It's good, probably, that you have a mixture. You know, some folks have a primary business and they kind of sell sheds on the side. But my natural thought pattern there becomes if you sell it on the side, then it means it's a side gig, that means it's not a primary focus for you.
Shed Geek:So whereas if you've got someone who's primarily doing it, and then you know they only get 12 buildings, you know, man, I, you know I'm dumping money into lot rent, I'm dumping money in, and then I've got to pay for my own advertising marketing perspective because, like, if that dealer has to turn around and go out and pay for their lot rent, pay for advertising, pay for a website, pay for you know, establish a budget for running ads assuming they see the value in the ads, like as a dealer it becomes very complicated really quick to be like I need more product or different products. The question was asked on shed sales professionals the other day what other products can I sell?
Shed Gal:We were just talking about this Because we want to be able to make it. Yeah, yeah, you know.
Shed Geek:So you guys are doing. You know you've named three of them already, four of them already here today that you're doing. But how much bigger can it get? There's a whole lot more.
Shed Gal:And you know, you don't know what you don't know and we were talking about. There may be something. We bring pick up a product and six months from now we're like oh, we are never doing that again. You know, we're going to try those things. We're not going to just throw mud, we're being intentional, but we are going to pivot when we need to.
Shed Geek:I guess would be the right word. Yeah, yeah, I don't know, man. I think it's good. Dallas, it's really been good to meet you, man. I think it's pretty awesome.
Dallas Woodward:Yes.
Sam Byler:I want to do something.
Shed Geek:Where are we at on time? Oh, you're at 43. Sorry, I got your board we want to do something, while we've taken your voice away here today and we turned into old fogies trying to. Is this, fogies, trying to, trying to? Is this where the arm wrestling contest comes in? This is it? Yeah, like we're gonna arm wrestle somebody young.
Shed Gal:Are you kidding me? I was, I was gonna do it.
Shed Geek:Oh well, go for it, go for it. We we've done something in the past. I don't know. I feel like this would be kind of cool. This is catching you completely off guard, um, but we ask questions a lot on the microphone and that's what you're going to see out of monday, wednesday and friday shows. We go around and interview a lot of these people, try to have conversation. That's valuable, educating and entertaining, but we don't always give the guest an opportunity to speak oh, you're gonna do this again, yeah so, like you don't get a chance to ask us questions.
Shed Geek:A lot of times it seems like we're just pounding questions at you and seeing what your thoughts are. But what questions do you have, man? Not only are you young, you're motivated, but you've got all this time in the industry. You've got three folks here that like to think we know something about sheds, whether we do or not, but we've at least been around it. But what questions come to mind for you, man? Like, whether it's shed related or podcast related or whatever? I know I didn't, I didn't prepare you for this. So, um and just in full transparency, man, what do you have? And we'll rattle off our best answers what? What's your thoughts, whether it's where the shed industry is going or whatever, you know what I mean well, I uh, I think it's going towards the mega lots yeah I heard that I do think that, uh, I don't know that I've seen that until I talked to sam, but the more I've talked with him I see that.
Dallas Woodward:but, um, honestly, I I like I said y'all talked about four shed liberties. Uh, I'd love to hear y'all stories. I don't know, I just told Sam earlier I hadn't heard about the podcast until just recently. I just started listening to him, so there could be a previous one that y'all have actually talked about this, but uh, I'd love to hear how y'all actually got started.
Sam Byler:Cause I know y'all think I'm young and ready to go.
Shed Gal:But look, I look up to y'all, y'all, y'all. You want to get on a plane today? How much time do you? He can watch the video of how I got started on the plane, right? Yeah, well that's true.
Sam Byler:Well, susan started by dropping a shed in the middle of the road.
Shed Gal:That was not how I got in the business, but that's how I met you she got in the business because she couldn't find a shed to buy.
Sam Byler:Nobody was there, so she was like I'm to go sell sheds because nobody's doing it right. Obviously she comes from a long background of training so I grew up in it like you did. I've never been able to get away from it. I've tried multiple different things but yeah, I've been in it my whole life. I mean, that's always kind of been a fallback between trucking and building houses and everything else I do.
Shed Geek:I love that he said man. I just found it recently the podcast Because my numbers and transparency. We'll just put them on, if somebody wants to see them, to be able to watch the numbers slowly creep up.
Shed Geek:And I think they'll just expand that much more with your network and and using your network, but every time you start to think, I don't know, maybe this thing doesn't have a life, you find someone who's established in it, who doesn't. You know, we've done over 200 episodes and it's great because I'm gonna go back and watch those numbers go up as dallas starts, drives home or flies home and starts listening to the.
Shed Geek:You know what I mean. So it's always exciting for me to think well, people are investing in different medias or knowledge points, and we like to try to be that. But yeah, man, my, my shed journey. Um, you know, we had cook portable warehouses. We had cook sheds around our, our area. Growing up there in southern illinois, you know so, like I, even though I live in metropolis, we grew up in homestead and and cook, was it? It was so well known that, if that, if somebody said, uh, you know, there's a shed out, there's a cook shed, whether you hand built it or not, it was just it was called a cook shed.
Shed Geek:It was like a kleenex, you know, or a weed eater you know um so like, even when I sold summit uh buildings.
Shed Geek:You know these, I a weed eater. You know Um so like, even when I sold summit uh buildings, you know these. I remember a guy walking to the lot and saying what kind of buildings you got here and I was like these are summit portable buildings. He said I never heard of a summit cook shed, you know, and I'm like no, so you know, they just did a real good job of branding and all that. But but, man, you know, we had them around but I never pursued sheds or I did uh build homes for a small time, not as long as sam uh couldn't find a good crew to work for um.
Shed Geek:But I worked in a couple different things. I worked for the casino for 10 years, I was a hotel manager over there, attended bar for several years and, uh, I was actually worked at a jail and I was looking to work in corrections because Deanna's dad had worked in it. I thought, man, it looks like a good, stable career. Then I had a buddy who was a friend of ours who went to work for a shed company. His associate pastor invited us to church and said hey, I think I can get you a job. I just got hooked. I left for a little while and worked in faith-based drug and alcohol rehab and then man started selling and and got a passion for selling.
Shed Geek:Uh, but I learned something about myself in the casino industry and that was that I love to talk to people. I love that process of selling and building relationships. It was really just helping them and and that's, I think that's what bit me. Job offers come after that. You know what I mean chance to go work for a rent-owned company. And, um, as I'm traveling around, I'm talking to all these people and all of them are saying the same thing like what else are you hearing? What are you seeing over there? What's? And you're building all these relationships and it's like somebody needs to do something. Like I'm listening to podcast in my car, from one shed dealer to the next, you know one manufacturer, the next, and I'm like why wouldn't somebody just get on there and talk about sheds? It's like would a shed podcast work? And if you ask Sam, I shot him down.
Shed Gal:While they were driving. Yeah, we were driving up 77 doing rent down.
Sam Byler:He's like somebody needs to get a podcast and I'm like what's a podcast? Well, when people just sit there and talk. Who listens to that? So, yeah, I did, I shot him down. I'm like no, that'll never work but it it, you know it.
Shed Geek:It worked and I think people just like resources, they like information, they want to get as much information as they can. We've had companies come on and do demos of their products. It's free to come on. Of course we ask for advertising at some point. It's a revenue stream that kind of helps go and these mics, believe it or not, they cost money.
Sam Byler:You know what I mean.
Shed Geek:So you've got to find a way to make money. But if you can, uh, I feel like if you can create good content and have good information, and like I'm sitting here with two of the best content creators in the shed industry, you know, and it's like why aren't we doing this together? Because we're already creating all this content. You just got to put a microphone to it and people will say I don't have nothing to tell. But they do. They have a story and I mean you have a story starting at 12 years old, getting your ged and going to work for your dad, and you told much of that. You know off the air. But I think everybody's got got that. So it's like why not do this? Why not? I mean, I just looking for a good reason not to, but three years strong and the numbers keep rising. Now I'm working with some really cool people and I don't know. I'm just that's why. I guess that's why we do it yeah, it's.
Shed Gal:So, going back to mine real quick, it you? You summed it up I, I was a customer just trying to buy a shed and you know, people weren't at their lots and they didn't return their calls and nothing's changed. No, I mean nothing's changed. There's. There's always going to be some dealers that that do business that way and that, and that's their choice. But I, I actually went to the manufacturing plant, not knowing that I couldn't order a shed from there, that they actually built them there. But but remember, I'm a customer, I just want a shed. And they did sell me a shed. And during that conversation I had said to them it really would be great if you had a good dealer down in the county I lived in, because they didn't. And they said, well, we're looking for one. And I literally said, I think you just found her. And that simple little conversation, you know, led to, you know, we were going.
Shed Gal:A couple weeks later we were up and going and sold 10 buildings our first month. We did not have a lot and we just ran with it and we decided to, you know, have lots. And then we expanded. We were in Washington and Arizona. I was telling Sam, I had a couple people say you are crazy, that'll never work. There's dealers with multiple lots, but they're all within a half hour or an hour of each other. I said stay tuned and watch this. I'm saying the same thing now.
Shed Geek:I was about to say some people are probably saying that about the Mega Lot. Oh, absolutely, Go make it happen right, Go make it happen Exactly.
Shed Gal:It isn't about proving them wrong. We're us and we're going to do our deal. So I now look back. I don't know how we sold 10 without a lot. I don't know how my lot symbol states were all successful, but when I was doing it, it was just what I did, it wasn't a big deal. And a year or two from now I'm going to probably look back to right at this time and go I don't know how I did it, but right now we're just doing it, and so it's a shed at the end of the day, but it got me right where I'm supposed to be, and I love this industry, I love the people. I went out to the shed haulers bash a couple months ago. Um, it, it's just. It's just great people in this industry. And and again, at the end of the day it's a shed, but it's uh well, just it's an important, important industry just the same.
Shed Geek:As people said, you know, uh, talking about sheds and things like that won't work. I really think you know this week the podcast that we've done, the people we've met, it's clearly more than a shed.
Shed Geek:Yeah, it's not just the shed, it's not just the you're having conversations that are eight o'clock in the morning and breakfast, conversations that last an hour and a half, that are full-on, passionate conversations before a two-hour podcast about the same stuff, and it's never just about a shed or the basic construction. Of course you want to talk about those things, man, but but we're talking about life. We're talking about so many different things business and and and like all that stuff that it. I think that's where the magic happens and I think people enjoy that, and I think that's the same reason they tune into podcasts, they follow books, they read music, they listen to television shows, documentaries, you name it. That's all we're trying to do here is like bring a voice to an industry, literally that's what we're doing, did you?
Sam Byler:actually happen to notice what we're in a shed same as my office at home.
Sam Byler:We're in a shed now it's one of the coolest sheds you've ever been that's right, that's right. People come in here and they look around for a little bit and they get a glazed look on their eye and then they spot one little item and they light up and they go look at that and then they find another little item you mean like, what's inside the shed is crazy you mean finding your Shreveport Truck Center 1995 award that was given by a guy named Gary Latham who.
Sam Byler:I have no idea who he is. Out of all the things in here, you latched on Latham.
Dallas Woodward:I don't I latched on the UK guitar. Yeah, I'm sure you did.
Shed Geek:By the way, you'll be receiving that as a parting gift today.
Sam Byler:Oh really.
Dallas Woodward:While it's stuck on your head.
Shed Geek:Sorry, I had to take the opportunity. Good luck with that. Got it riled up, didn't I? Dallas, I think you're cool man, I think you're going to go a long way and I think you've got the right partners to do that. Excited to watch you guys and really need to meet you. Man, we've got to grab lunch in Paducah.
Dallas Woodward:Yeah, let's do it. I'm excited yeah that's cool.
Sam Byler:You guys can get to hang out quite a bit. I like that.
Shed Gal:You can go to the Waffle Hut too.
Sam Byler:We could.
Shed Geek:They're open 24's. A story behind that well, uh, appreciate you being here today. Wish you lots of luck, man. Any questions, you got anything you want to leave with the industry? You guys looking to grow any of that stuff?
Dallas Woodward:I got my partner right there. We're fixing to, we're fixing to take it over.
Shed Geek:All right, that's right. Well, let's go. Man, appreciate you, yeah, that's right. Appreciate you being on today, for sure.
Dallas Woodward:Yeah, I really appreciate the invite.
Shed Geek:Cool.
Dallas Woodward:Thank you, dallas, have a safe flight home. Yeah, or wherever.
Sam Byler:I don't think you're going home. No, I'm going to Louisiana. Yeah, there we hey, this is Mo Lunsford in sunny Union Grove, north Carolina. No-transcript.